Hook and eye structure



Feb. 4, 1964 B. R. SILVER ETAL 3,120,045

Hoox AND EYE STRUCTURE Filed March 29, 1962 INVENTORS BERNARD SILVER AUGUSTINE CILIONE United States Patent O 3,126,045 11100K AND EYE STRUCTURE Bernard R. Silver and Augustine Cilione, Providence, RJ., assignors to Rau Fastener Company, Providence, RJ., a corporation of Rhode Island i Filed Mar. 29, 1962, Ser. No. 183,513

2 Claims. (Cl. 2li-22S) The invention relates to limprovements in separable fasteners and is more particularly concerned with the novel construction and `assembly of improved hook and eye structures for use as a garment fastener.

It is now common practice to utilize a hook and eye assembly for fastening, for example, the waistband of trousers above the ily opening. Such fastening devices consist generally of a hook element which is attached to one side of the waistband adjacent to the fly opening and an eye element which is attached to the waistband at the opposite side of the opening. The hook element detachably engages the eye element to hold the two meeting edges of the waistband together.

Hook and eye elements having bendable prongs necessarily are made of soft bendable material and are deformed easily `during garment pressing operations. It is therefore another object of the invention to provide a hook and eye structure that is resistant to bending during such pressing operations.

The eye element and the hook element generally are provided with integral prongs arranged to pierce the material of the garment or other support sheet and be bent over tightly against a back plate or .anvil for securing them in place. This mode of attachment has required the use of specially designed attaching tools and equipment thus making their universal use prohibitive especially among manufacturers who find it financially unsound to acquire or lease such attaching equipment. Substantially all garment manufacturers are equipped with automatic or manually operated equipment for attaching snap fasteners to garments of the like, and it is one of the purposes of this invention to provide a hook and eye assembly of a kind that can be attached by use of such equipment.

Another object it to provide novel hook and eye elements with novel means to resist turning in their mounting.

Another object is to provide novel means and devices for mounting hook and eye elements on a garment by means of conventional fastener attaching equipment.

Another object is to provide a novel hook element which is simple and inexpensive in its manufacture and installation, and efficient and effective at all times.

Another object is to provide a novel eye element which is simple and inexpensive in its manufacture and installation, and eicient and effective at all t-imes.

The structure by means of which the above noted and other objects and advantages of the invention are attained will be described in the following specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, showing a preferred illustrative embodiment of the invention, in which:

FIG. l is a fragmentary View of a trouser fly construction showing the improved hook and eye elements of the present invention attached to the waistband thereof.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the hook element.

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the hook element.

FIG, 4 is an enlarged central sectional View of the hook element taken on line `4 4 of FIG. l.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the eye element, taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the eyelet element loop.

Referring to the exemplary disclosure of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularly to 3,120,045 Patented Feb. 4, 1964 ICC FIG. l, thereof, the fragmentary part of a garment, illustrated, for purposes of disclosure, includes portions 11 and 112 and the usual waistband 13 stitches to the upper ends of said portions. The two por-tions, which constitute a fly front of the garment, may be secured together closed as by means of a slide fastener 14.

The overlapped ends of waistband 13 have secured thereto a novel hook element 15 and a complemental novel eye element 16. It should be evident that the overlapping ends of the waistband are secured together by inserting the hook element into the eye element. In the present disclosure, the hook and eye elements are each of novel construction and each is secured to the respective waistband portion by novel means that permits the use of conventional fastener attaching equipment.

More particularly and with specific reference to FIGS. 2-4, the hook element 15 consists of a metallic stamping having a base portion 17 and a reversedly curved hook portion .1,8 spaced one from -the other so as to allow the portion 18 to be received in the eye element 16. The base portion 17 has a centrally located aperture 19 and at least one, but preferably two, detent projections 21 -on its bottom face. The peripheral margin of the base material surrounding aperture 19 is offset in the direction of said bottom face, as at 22, to provide a substantiailly conical recess 23 on the inside or uppermost face of said base portion. When attaching the hook element 15 to the waistband, the bottom face of the base portion is seated against one face of the garment material and a tubular-flanged stud 24 is arranged on `the opposite face of said material. The material may be prepunched to receive tubular body 25 of said stud 24 or said stud may pierce the material during the attaching operation now to be described.

With the parts partially assembled as aforesaid, and with -the flanged stud seated upon a die (not shown) a spinning or flanging tool is moved downwardly freely through a clearance opening 26 in hook portion 18 and into engagement with the free end of tubular body 25 so as to roll or spin same into tight binding engagement with the surface of conical recess 23. This tight engagement embeds detent projections 21 in the material of the garment thus preventing unwanted rotation of the mounting hook element 18.

The eye element 16 is mounted on the companion garment part in substantially the same manner. More specifically, a flanged stud 27 (FIG. 5) which is like stud 24, is projected through the material of the waistband from one side thereof into tight binding engagement with eye element 16 seated on the other side thereof. Referring particularly to the FIG. 6 disclosure, the eye element 16 is comprised of two parts 28-29 joined together rigidly to define a loop configuration. The part 28 consists of a metallic stamping having an elongated body 31 and end portions 32 extending normal to the plane of the body portion and each formed with a free end portion 33 of reduced width. A centrally located aperture 34 is provided in said body portion.

The other part 29 consists of a metallic stamping having a body portion 35 rolled at its ends to dene end flanges 36, the free edges of which abut the bottom face of body portion 31 when the two parts are assembled. Such assembly is effected by providing substantially square openings 37 in body portion 35, one inwardly of each end ange 36 each to receive the terminal ends of end portions 33 when the latter are rolled inwardly reversedly as shown in FIG. 5. Preferably, the marginal edge 38 of each opening '-37 is bent out of the plane of body portion `29 for a purpose to be explained presently. Said portion 29 also has a centrally located circular opening 39 and the surrounding margin 41 of the body is de- 3 llected out of the plane of said body portion in the same direction as edges 38.

To mount the eye element 16, it is placed with the bottom surface of body portion 29 against the garment material and the tubular body of stud 27 is thrust through the garment material and into and through opening 39. A tool, not shown, then is inserted through opening 34 and engaged with the projecting end of the tubular body of said stud for flaring or rolling same outwardly into tight engagement with the dished margin of said aper-ture. The external base flange 42 of said stud 27 is brought into tight binding engagement with the garment material and in so doing holds said material firmly against body portion 29. When assembled, the out turned edges 38 on body portion 29 bite the garment material and prevent rotation of the element relative to its mounting.

It should be observed that in both the hook assembly and the eye assembly, the hole provided for passage of a tool to the tubular stud is of a size somewhat larger than the diameter of said stud to insure adaquate clearance for the tool irrespective of its specific dimensions or characteristics.

Although we have described a preferred embodiment of our invention, in considerable detail, it will be understood that the description thereof is intended to be illustrative, rather than restrictive, as many details of the structure may be modified or changed without `departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Accordingly, we do not desire to be restricted to the exact construction described.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A fastener eye element comprising a first strap-like body portion, a second strap-like body portion having upstanding end flanges and apertures inwardly thereof, tongues on the ends of the first strap-like body portion overlying the outside faces of said upstanding flanges and threaded one through each aperture, said flanges functioning as spacers to hold the first strap-like body portion spaced from the second strap-like body portion to define an elongated loop, said second body portion having an opening therein between its ends adapted to receive an attaching eyelet, the first body portion having a tool receiving opening therein, said opening being in register with the eyelet receiving opening, and means on said second body portion to engage in a surface upon which the loop is mounted to prevent free rotation of the loop.

2. A fastener eye element comprising a first strap-like body portion, a second strap-like body portion having upstanding end flanges and apertures inwardly thereof, tongues on the ends of the first strap-like body portion overlying the outside faces of said upstanding flanges and threaded one through each aperture, said flanges functioning as spacers to hold the first strap-like body portion spaced from the second strap-like body portion to define an elongated loop, said second body portion having an opening therein between its ends adapted to receive an attaching eyelet, and the first body portion having a tool receiving opening therein in register with the eyelet receiving opening,

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 385,848 Coursen July 10, 1888 771,353 Custer Oct. 4, 1904 1,228,181 Cody May 29, 1917 1,826,705 Carr Oct. 13, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS 13,478 Great Britain of 1905 47,776 Switzerland of 1910 275,778 Switzerland Sept. 1, 1951 1,073,564 France Mar. 24, 1954 

2. A FASTENER EYE ELEMENT COMPRISING A FIRST STRAP-LIKE BODY PORTION, A SECOND STRAP-LIKE BODY PORTION HAVING UPSTANDING END FLANGES AND APERTURES INWARDLY THEREOF, TONGUES ON THE ENDS OF THE FIRST STRAP-LIKE BODY PORTION OVERLYING THE OUTSIDE FACES OF SAID UPSTANDING FLANGES AND THREADED ONE THROUGH EACH APERTURE, SAID FLANGES FUNCTIONING AS SPACERS TO HOLD THE FIRST STRAP-LIKE BODY PORTION SPACED FROM THE SECOND STRAP-LIKE BODY PORTION TO DEFINE AN ELONGATED LOOP, SAID SECOND BODY PORTION HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN BETWEEN ITS ENDS ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AN ATTACHING EYELET, AND THE FIRST BODY PORTION HAVING A TOOL RECEIVING OPENING THEREIN IN REGISTER WITH THE EYELET RECEIVING OPENING. 